She does not care about moving up into the caste system or to buy many clothes. The only thing she wants is the medical treatment that is necessary for Coyotito's bite from the scorpion.
Another aspect of joy that Juana experiences is the influence her neighbors have on her Most of the neighbors show support for Juana throughout the story. "That good wife Juana . What a pity it would be if the pearl should destroy them all" (43). The neighbors often talk about daily problems and news that is affecting the village as well. Solving daily problems is one thing Juana learns from her neighbors. This helps Juana to remain true to herself because she is around a group of people that share the same beliefs as her. .
Juana's traits and beliefs of having a constant being are not as easily seen until moments of conflict occurs. For example, during the threat of a scorpion biting her only son Coyotito, she doesn't flinch but instead murmurs old magic to protect her son from evil while mumbling Hail Marys (5). This shows that because of her strong faith, she believes that a scorpion bite is not fatal to Coyotito. Steinbeck uses a dramatic foil with Kino to portray Juana's calmness. "His hands were in front of him, palms down, and his eyes [were] on the scorpion.Kino beat and [stamped] the enemy until it [was] only a fragment and a moist place in the dirt" (5,6). When the bite occurs, she calmly sucks the wound while Coyotito is screaming (6) and speaks "softly to him" (10). Juana deeply cares for her son and wants the best treatment possible so she decides she wants the doctor's help. Juana and Kino have no money and because of their race, the doctor refuses to treat Coyotito. That's okay with Juana. She uses what she has, which is an old remedy to heal wounds. In fact, the remedy is more useful than anything the doctor has for the bite. She collects brown seaweed, makes an even wet poultice, and puts on Coyotito's swollen shoulder (15).